Katerina Giota

Katerina Giota (Greek: Κατερίνα Γιώτα; born July 3, 1990, in St. Petersburg, Russia) is a female professional volleyball player from Greece, who is a member of the Greece women's national volleyball team.[1] At club level, she plays in Hellenic Volley League for Greek club AEK Athens since May 2023.[2]

Katerina Giota
Personal information
Full nameAikaterini Giota
Nationality Greece
Born (1990-07-03) July 3, 1990
St. Petersburg, Russia
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight73 kg (161 lb)
Spike287 cm (113 in)
Block282 cm (111 in)
Volleyball information
PositionMiddle Blocker
Current clubGreece AEK Athens
Number1 (club and national team)
Career
YearsTeams
2004–2006
2006–2008
2008–2013
2013–2020
2021–2021
2021–2023
2023–		Greece G.S. Grevena
Greece A.S. Aris Thessaloniki
Greece G.S. Iraklis Kifisia (Athens)
Greece Olympiacos S.F. Piraeus
Hungary Vasas SC Budapest
Greece Olympiacos S.F. Piraeus
Greece AEK Athens
National team
Greece Hellas - 93 caps (05.2018)
Last updated: 27 May 2023

Career

Katerina Giota in 2002 moved with her mother from Russia to Greece at an age of 12 years old and they were established in the Greek city Grevena, where she obtained the Hellenic citizenship.[3] From her younger age, she was engaged in swimming, so she continued in Greece, but some day she was spotted by coach Memtsas and was persuaded to try volleyball. In this way she started her rich career in volleyball, which was to lead her into one of the best ever central blockers in the history of the certain sport in Greece.

Thus in 2004 she joined G.S. Grevena, a club of her hometown, where she remained up to 2006 when she removed to 1st division A.S. Aris Thessaloniki. Two more years in Aris until her transfer to G.S. Iraklis Kifisia. With this club Katerina Giota won twice the 3rd place of the Hellenic Championship.

In 2013 Olympiacos managed to convince Katerina Giota to be a member of the Piraeus club, after three failed attempts.[3] Until then Giota used to wear her favourite No 13 on her shirt, in every of her previous teams. But in her new club she was told that this number does not exist in any of Olympiacos sport sections, as it represents their hot rivals from Athens. So, Katerina Giota chose the No 1 shirt, and kept the No 13 only for the Hellenic National Squad.

Since then Katerina Giota has won at international level with Olympiacos Piraeus the golden medal of the 2017–18 CEV Women's Challenge Cup, being the best blocker of that competition with 33 winning block points[4] and the silver medal of the 2016–17 CEV Women's Challenge Cup as well.
In domestic competitions, Giota has won 7 Hellenic Championships and 6 Hellenic Cups, being all these years a permanent member of her squad as central blocker.

In January 2021 the Greek championship was uncertain whether it would continue due to covid-19 disease, and Olympiacos allowed their players to move abroad (despite their contracts) until next summer. Thus, Katerina Giota signed in Vasas SC Budapest,[5][6] with which she won the 3rd place of the Hungarian championship 2020-21.[7]

International career

In 2006, at the age of 16 Katerina Giota, when she was playing for Aris Thessaloniki, was selected for the Hellenic Junior Women's National team, but her first European appearance took place in the preliminary round of the 2008 Junior Women European Championship.[8]

Since 2010 she is a member of the Hellenic Women's National Team with participation in the preliminary round of the 2011 European Championship,[9] and she remains a basic member of the National Squad up to now, having competed in the Mediterranean Games of 2013 and 2018, as well as in any other competition, such as the preliminary or final stages of European and World Championships, in the European League[10] and in many friendlies as well. In 2015[11] and in 2016 Katerina Giota won the bronze medal in Golden European League,[12] and in 2018 Mediterranean Games she won the silver medal as a permanent member of the Hellenic National Team.[13]

Sporting achievements

National Team

International competitions

National championships

National trophies

Individuals

References
  1. "Greece women's national volleyball team". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  2. "Στην ΑΕΚ η Κατερίνα Γιώτα!". aek.gr (in Greek). Online. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  3. "An interview with Giota in "Fos ton Spor" newspaper". www.volleynews.gr=. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. "Best blocker in 2017-18 CEV Challenge Cup". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  5. "Giota in Vasas Budapest". fosonline.gr. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  6. "Giota moves to Vasas Budapest". worldofvolley.com. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  7. "Vasas Budapest profile". women.volleybox.net. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  8. "Hellenic Junior Women's National Team - 2008". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  9. "Hellenic Women's National Team - 2011". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  10. "Giota in 2016 European League". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  11. "Greece's Bronze medal in 2015 Golden European League". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  12. "Greece's Bronze medal in 2016 Golden European League". cev.eu. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  13. Silver medal of Hellenic National Team in 2018 Mediterranean Games www.volleynews.gr (in Greek)
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